Freeze frame: The Cosmopolitan to replace pool with ice rink for holidays

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas is known for doing everything big. Christmas is no exception.

From last year's Winter in Venice at The Venetian to the Palazzo's winter garden at the atrium waterfall and Bellagio's 42-foot Shasta Fir decorated with more than 13,500 twinkling white lights, the Strip is awash in lights and decorations for the holiday season.

The Strip will soon be home to one more unique holiday tradition. An ice rink scheduled to open at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will be the first of its kind with a view of the Strip.

The Cosmopolitan will transform its Boulevard Pool into an original holiday theme with a real ice rink set to open Nov. 30. The pool will be covered by a platform, which will be frozen for skating and surrounded by fire pits, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs.

"We keep reinventing the space," said Lisa Marchese, the resort's chief marketing officer. "We haven't done anything out there before. It just seemed like we should create a little bit of a winter wonderland."

The Venetian, meanwhile, will offer skating beginning Sunday and continuing through Jan. 6 on a synthetic ice rink adjacent to the outdoor gondola rides. Ice skating at The Venetian will be on "recycled polymer," which require no electricity or refrigeration.

The rink will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Admission is $9.95 for locals and members of its Grazie rewards program while general admission is $14.95.

The Cosmopolitan rink will have a full bar featuring warm cocktails and snacks, including s'mores. Special events include a date night on Mondays featuring holiday movie scenes on The Cosmopolitan's 65-foot digital screen.

Wednesdays will have disc jockey-driven club music, while Thursdays will feature retro skating to disco and other music of the '70s, '80s and '90s.

The ice rink will be open from Nov. 30 through Jan. 20. Those who want to lace up their skates and hit the ice can do so weekdays from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

She said The Cosmopolitan will maintain it like a traditional ice rink. Marchese declined to discuss the rink's cost to build and operate except to say the resort feels "it's a smart investment."

Holiday hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily from Dec. 24 to Jan. 4. All-day skating is $10 for Nevada residents and $15 for nonresidents. If you don't have your own skates, rentals will be available for $5.

For those who want to hang out and not skate, admission is free. Marchese said the rink is also available for rental whether it's for a private party or a pick-up hockey game.

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